Statute · California Commercial Code

Cal. Com. Code § 3407 — Liability of Parties

Cal. Com. Code § 3407

Type
Statute
Source
California Commercial Code
Jurisdiction
California
Date
1993-01-01
Current through
Nov 2, 2026 (California Legislative Counsel)

(a) “Alteration” means (1) an unauthorized change in an instrument that purports to modify in any respect the obligation of a party, or (2) an unauthorized addition of words or numbers or other change to an incomplete instrument relating to the obligation of a party.

Citator

Cal. Com. Code § 3407 — Liability of Parties is in force in the current edition of the Code, and nothing recorded condemns it.

(a) “Alteration” means (1) an unauthorized change in an instrument that purports to modify in any respect the obligation of a party, or (2) an unauthorized addition of words or numbers or other change to an incomplete instrument relating to the obligation of a party.

(b) Except as provided in subdivision (c), an alteration fraudulently made discharges a party whose obligation is affected by the alteration unless that party assents or is precluded from asserting the alteration. No other alteration discharges a party, and the instrument may be enforced according to its original terms.

(c) A payor bank or drawee paying a fraudulently altered instrument or a person taking it for value, in good faith and without notice of the alteration, may enforce rights with respect to the instrument (1) according to its original terms, or (2) in the case of an incomplete instrument altered by unauthorized completion, according to its terms as completed.